It’s been a fun couple of days

An Anthro event, my first and probably last time at Toronto Fashion Week, and plenty of good food.

It seems that Anthropologie is now doing monthly birthday events. The birthday girl gets the email invite and gets to invite a friend, and at the store there’s 15% off for everyone with cute refreshments and a personal stylist showing off a few outfits. I asked and apparently there will be a birthday event every month, but not necessarily at the same store every month. It was my friend’s birthday this month, so we’ll see which store the event is at in June when my birthday rolls around.

Balloons, candy, cupcakes, pink punch, it’s all good.

I tried on the Tamsin Maxi Dress by Puella. The fit was great, it was very flattering, and the personal stylist was trying her best to get me to buy it, but I wasn’t in love, so it was a pass, even at 15% off.

(For reference, I’m wearing an XS for the length, and it wasn’t too tight for me up top, so I’d say it runs a bit big. My Sorel boots are peeking out from under the hem, I think that really made the look.)

In the end, compliments are great from other people and I know the dress looks good on me, but it’s not enough for me to buy. I have to love it too.

I did get the Paper Moon Francophile Tee because I couldn’t resist. (Turquoise.) But other than that I was pretty meh about most things. (Except this, which was a NO.) I liked some of the jewellery from far away, but up close it just looks and feels really cheap.

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After Anthropologie it was on to the Soïa & Kyo show at Toronto Fashion Week, which is decidedly small potatoes. I’ve never been before, and it was certainly an experience. The people there were…interesting. It was very much a place where people wanted to be seen, wanted to be photographed, basically wanted to be the “it” people. I personally found it hilarious, which is probably why I could never be part of this crowd. For one thing, I’d find it exhausting, and secondly, I can’t take myself that seriously. Also, I guess I’m just not that fashionable.

(And I had a cookie in my pocket. That’s not allowed, nobody at these events eats.)

Doing my best duckface impression, while a dude selfies in the background.

This dude was one of the shiny people. People kept coming up to him and shrieking “OMG it’s so nice to meet you!” I had no idea who he was, maybe I was supposed to?

I do love the brand though, I have far too many Soïa & Kyo coats. One of the first things I bought when I moved to Toronto seven years ago was one of their jackets. I wish they still made their coats in Canada though, I guess when a brand gets big, they have to outsource to China.

This was the view from our non-VIP seats. I’m pretty sure that the guy in the front row on the other side is Tommy Smythe, Sarah Richardson’s design sycophant sidekick. (I’m not a fan of her designs.)

So that was Thursday, and if I have any takeaways it’s that I do not belong in the fashion-y world, but that is just fine by me. I’m happy to look at it from afar.

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Yesterday was a friend’s birthday so it was dinner at Parts & Labour in Parkdale. You know it’s going to be a hipster restaurant when this is what you see when you walk in:

The food was pretty good though:

This burger won Burger Wars. It was a good burger. Worthy of winning Burger Wars? No idea, I’m no burger expert.

The rest of the photos didn’t turn out very well because of the lighting. I wish I had gotten a decent picture o the sticky fried pigtail, which was required because of Little House in the Big Woods (although theirs was definitely not covered in cilantro and jalapenos and a spicy hoisin sauce). Anyone who grew up with those books knows what I’m talking about.

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It’s Saturday morning and I’m exhausted now, but can’t skip Saturday lunch with Will and tomorrow it’s the Home Show, followed by an ice cream challenge. If I succeed, more on that later.